Cybersecurity is not a luxury but a necessity for organizations of all sizes

Fact: it is impossible to imagine the digital landscape without cybercrime. Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and unfortunately so are the skills of cybercriminals. As a result, we face digital threats that are constantly evolving. Measures that previously provided adequate protection are far from effective against today’s cyber risks. And because we are increasingly dependent on technological tools, both business and personal, the impact of a cyber attack can be enormous.

Yet, Many Organizations Seem Unaware of How Vulnerable They Are. Sometimes, They Are Simply Unaware of the Data Breaches That Hackers Can Exploit. Maybe They Think That Cybercriminals Are Only Interested in Large Corporations, So Smaller Businesses Are Not at Risk. There May Be Other Issues That Are More Important or Urgent at the Moment. Or Cybersecurity Is Seen as a ‘Headache’: Where Do You Even Begin?

The Consequences of a Data Breach

And so, it could happen that such an organization one day becomes the victim of a cyberattack, with all the consequences that come with it. Direct financial consequences such as having to pay ‘ransom’ to regain control of hacked systems, or fines for not complying with GDPR and other regulations regarding cybersecurity and privacy. And also indirect costs and lost revenue due to reputational damage, operational disruptions, the leaking or loss of confidential business information or personal customer data…

 

 

And that’s a shame, because implementing the right measures doesn’t have to be that complicated. With the use of smart tools, any organization can increase its cyber resilience and reduce the risk of data breaches. With the ever-increasing likelihood of a cyberattack and its enormous consequences, now is the time to proactively address this issue!

Baseline Measurement

Step one in addressing your organization’s cyber resilience is to identify where the risks and vulnerabilities currently lie. A baseline measurement, in other words. The best way to determine this is by conducting a risk analysis that reviews the entire organization for compliance with a Zero Trust policy, for example in the areas of:

  • Authentication: Are you using strong Multi-Factor Authentication? How do you minimize the risk of identity breaches?
  • Access Policy: Do you have clear policies for acceptable and adaptive access to resources?
  • Microsegmentation: To what extent does your organization implement distributed segmentation that also isolates individual workloads?
  • Automated Alerts and Recovery Actions: Are these tools already in place to minimize the average time between attack and response?
  • Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Intelligence: Does your organization use these to detect and respond to anomalies in real-time?
  • Classification and Protection of Business Data: How do you protect sensitive data from exposure due to unauthorized release from computer systems?

A cybersecurity assessment is the most efficient method for this, as it uncovers potential risks through automated scans and analyses. It provides insight into the current cybersecurity maturity of the organization and the scope of information security. With these insights, you can make well-informed decisions about prioritizing improvement actions in cybersecurity, ensuring that the available cybersecurity budget is used in the best possible way.

Cybersecurity Plan

What actions are essential to protect the organization against a cyberattack? The fact is that traditional security measures are no longer sufficient. Good security is more than just setting up a secure on-site network. In this digital age, a broader and, above all, adaptive strategy is needed that can adapt to the increasing complexity and dynamics of our way of working. A strategy that takes into account that employees must be able to work anytime, anywhere, from any device. All they need to do is log into their digital workplace. This brings new risks and requires a flexible strategy, translated into an effective cybersecurity plan.

Such a cybersecurity plan is a must for every organization, large or small. It helps with:

  • Identifying and mitigating risks
  • Protecting data and networks
  • Responding quickly to a cyberattack and minimizing its impact
  • Cleaning up affected systems
  • Getting the organization operational again as quickly as possible
  • Creating awareness and vigilance among users
  • Periodic Risk Analysis

Periodic Risk Analysis

To be flexible and effective in adapting to ever-evolving cyber risks, your organization must constantly stay aware of its vulnerabilities. Digital threats evolve continuously. A one-time assessment provides a detailed baseline measurement of the current cybersecurity maturity and potential vulnerabilities and risks. Periodic assessments are then crucial to keep a finger on the pulse and remain continuously alert.

Regularly repeating the security assessment is an essential part of a healthy security strategy. It provides an overview of the development of the organization’s overall cyber resilience and the various parts of the infrastructure. This way, you can manage different security risks and stay ahead of new forms of cybercrime without hampering productivity.

Conclusion

The risk of a cyberattack is increasing, partly because cybercriminals are becoming more skilled by the day and partly because there is a growing need to work flexibly and dynamically. The adoption of new technologies also brings risks.

Moreover, because the impact of an attack can be extremely significant, it is more important than ever for every organization to gain—and maintain!—insight into risks and vulnerabilities and to develop an effective cybersecurity plan.

Steps to Better Cybersecurity

In our whitepaper ‘Security Assessment: The First Step in Cybersecurity,’ we delve deeper into the importance of periodic security assessments. How mature is your organization in terms of cybersecurity? What are the vulnerabilities, and where are they located? What steps can you take to improve security, and where should your priorities lie? Concrete, actionable information that you can apply immediately.

Would you like to learn more?

WHITEPAPER LEZEN